Wait, I Got in the Wrong Car (GL) - Chapter 24

Lou Anran stared wide-eyed in disbelief. After struggling inwardly for a long time, her trembling palm gently returned to where it had been. The pulsing sensation came again, vivid and direct. Thump, thump, thump-thump. It echoed like the beat of a festive drum, each thud carrying an infectious joy.

Baby fish?

Could it be that the little one had misunderstood something in a moment of confusion?

Maybe the golden pattern blooming across her lower abdomen like a flower was just some special tattoo ink? Perhaps it was not a sign of pregnancy at all?

All kinds of doubts flashed through Lou Anran’s mind like a fast-forwarding film. But when her palm once again felt the rhythmic tremor of that pulse, steady and persistent like a heartbeat, she whispered, “Is she… is she saying hello to me?”

She turned her head and found the little one sleeping sweetly, nestled against her chest. Her head rested against Lou Anran’s neck, her warm breath lightly brushing the sensitive artery and sending a soft, tingling sensation across her skin.

She had no idea when the girl had dozed off. Instinctively, Lou Anran loosened her spine, which had been drawn taut like a bowstring. She leaned back carefully, allowing the girl to sleep more comfortably.

Once everything was settled, Lou Anran gazed at Mo Ying’s flat belly in a daze. The idea of the girl carrying new life all on her own was utterly astonishing. Two women might not be able to have a child together under ordinary circumstances, but this girl was different. She was a mermaid.

A living version of that mermaid from fairytales, who had once willingly turned into sea foam for the prince, was now lying peacefully in her arms.

Lou Anran recalled the moment when Mo Ying had burst into her office with such fierce energy, proclaiming something outrageous. Back then, Lou Anran’s usual way of thinking had kept her from taking those words seriously. But now…

Perhaps she had been the one in the wrong all along?

Her focus returned to the tiny fish that had responded to her. There was an invisible but unbreakable bond, an ancestral thread that tugged at her bl00d, stirring a deep, irrepressible joy.

This was their baby fish.

She never imagined that, in this lifetime, she could have a child of her own. Heaven had not been so heartless after all.

…

Mo Ying drifted in and out of sleep. As her mind began to clear, her tail flicked reflexively in the water. The first attempt failed, and when she opened her eyes groggily, she realized she was still in the bathtub. She tried again, but her tail still would not budge. She turned her head and saw Lou Xiaohei crouched beside the bathtub. One hand held her tail firmly, while the other slid upward in a slow, deliberate clockwise motion. Her slender fingers danced across golden scales like a solo on a piano made of sunlight.

Feeling uncomfortable, Mo Ying shifted her body, causing a loud splash in the water. The sudden motion startled Lou Anran out of her focused inspection of what she had thought were legs but were in fact a gleaming golden fish tail.

“Lou Xiaohei, no touching!”

“Awake?”

Mo Ying flicked her tail to slap the sneaky hand away. In a blink, the glittering golden tail transformed into two delicate jade-like feet. She retaliated by stamping playfully on Lou Anran’s arm before rolling away and climbing out from the other side of the tub.

“I’m going home.”

Lou Anran’s eyes widened. “!!!”

Mo Ying shook the droplets from her skin and prepared to leave. Lou Anran, who had spent the entire night overwhelmed by the realization that she was going to have her own little mermaid, suddenly remembered that apart from the child they shared, there was nothing else connecting her and the girl.

The hidden passage that once linked their homes had been sealed in a fit of rage just days earlier. Not just the door; even the walls had been reinforced with soundproof panels, almost welded shut.

Before Lou Anran could begin to regret that decision, she looked up and saw Mo Ying boldly attempting to climb out the half-open window. With a gasp, she darted forward and wrapped her arms around the girl’s slim waist, gently pulling her back inside.

“What are you doing!”

Mo Ying blinked innocently. “I’m going home.”

Lou Anran glanced at the narrow window. It barely fit someone as petite as Mo Ying. “You climbed up through there last night?!”

“Yeah. Your door wouldn’t open no matter how hard I tried.”

Mo Ying absentmindedly touched the teardrop-shaped blue pendant hanging behind her ear, making sure Lou Anran saw it. “Lou Xiaohei, don’t forget to get someone to fix it. I’m heading back.”

She turned to climb out again, determined to return the way she came.

Just then, Chu Shu arrived with her hands full of bags and was met with what looked like a dramatic family crisis. A little mermaid was halfway out the window while her boss was frantically trying to pull her back inside.

“Boss! Boss, calm down! Don’t do anything drastic. Think of your fortune, your youth, and your beautiful future!”

Chu Shu sprinted up the stairs two, three steps at a time. She burst through the door and found her boss carefully guiding a dripping-wet Mo Ying out of the bathroom. Both were soaked, as if they had just fought in the tub.

Neither looked at her directly as she passed. All Chu Shu could hear was her boss’s tender voice.

“No more climbing through windows. It’s too dangerous. I’ll have someone build a new door later today. You be good and stay home. I’ll come find you tonight.”

“???”

What was happening???

Yesterday, her boss had been dead set on deleting the words “little mermaid” from her life. She even said she hoped never to see the girl again. Yet now, less than a day later, everything was completely upside down.

Chu Shu leaned on the window frame, panting heavily. She watched Lou Anran bypass her own front door to knock on Mo Ying’s instead. She escorted the girl back with such care, and when she finally emerged a long while later, her expression was glowing with happiness. There was no trace left of the predator from two days ago.

When Lou Anran noticed her still standing there, she frowned. “Why are you still here? Go find someone to renovate. I need a new door built right here. Use only the safest and most eco-friendly materials to ensure there are no health risks involved. Actually, forget the old design. I want to redesign it completely.”

Chu Shu looked bewildered. “Wait, didn’t you just say two days ago that you wanted to split the villa in half and put up a wall two meters thick and three meters high?”

Lou Anran quickly grabbed a sheet of paper and began sketching. When she finished, she handed it to Chu Shu with a meaningful look.

“That was two days ago. Can you remember every single thing you did ten days ago in perfect detail?”

Chu Shu thought hard. “I think I ordered braised chicken that day…”

Lou Anran snorted. “You invited Kong Rulan to Europe and fed him that? Stingy. Now get moving. I want results before midnight. Otherwise, your bonus this month… heh.”

Chu Shu practically sprinted off, blueprint in hand, rushing to handle her boss’s latest change of heart. She had to come up with a thousand explanations to justify the boss’s sudden shift in attitude.

…

When Xiao Qiu heard that Mo Ying had been sent back by the president from next door, she was stunned.

“When did you go next door? I didn’t even notice.”

Mo Ying grinned, her eyes crescent-shaped. “I’m hungry. Go make lunch.”

After nearly half a month together, Xiao Qiu had learned the girl’s moods and habits. She sighed and reminded her gently, “President Ni said not to get too close to her. You should protect yourself. Also, Xiao Ai just called. President Ni will be visiting soon.”

Ni Xinyu was wheeled in by Xiao Ai, her injured leg now properly set in a cast, just as the doctor had predicted. It was Mo Ying’s first time seeing a cast. She circled around it curiously, even poking it lightly with her finger before asking nervously, “Will it get better?”

“Of course it will,” Ni Xinyu replied. “If not, I’ll make your Fourth Sister take responsibility.”

Mo Ying’s eyes went wide. “But Fourth Sister doesn’t know how to heal legs.”

Ni Xinyu didn’t expect her to catch the implication. She gave Xiao Ai a look, and the girl pulled Xiao Qiu away to give them privacy. Ni Xinyu got straight to the point.

“Sweetheart, I don’t think you should participate in the preliminary round of ‘Sing for the Song.’ Right now—”

She paused for a moment as she watched Mo Ying squat on the floor with wide, expectant eyes. Then she reached out and gently helped her to her feet. Her gaze lingered on Mo Ying’s belly.

“Are you really pregnant?”

Mo Ying patted her tummy. “Yep.”

Ni Xinyu covered her face, feeling like she had picked up a massive walking disaster. “This show is going to test your singing and dancing skills, and the next three to four months are packed with training and head-to-head matchups. It’ll be intense. You’re pregnant. How can you do that? A single misstep on stage could lead to an accident.”

Mo Ying blinked. “I won’t fall.”

For the first time, Ni Xinyu felt like she needed to call in the girl’s family. She wasn’t some heartless agent trying to milk her talent dry. “You can’t make this decision on your own. I need to speak with your Fourth Sister… or your Second Brother.”

Kong Rulan was Mo Ying’s second brother. Ni Xinyu had picked that up through Chu Shu’s gossip. Honestly, if she had a fashion god for a brother and a diva for a sister, why bother with a talent show? Just pull some strings!

But of course, her sweetheart was nothing if not determined.

“Second Brother!”

Perfect.

Kong Rulan arrived in a rush, his long blue hair still swaying in the air as he entered. He glanced at Ni Xinyu in her wheelchair and then at Mo Ying, who was bouncing her bare feet on the couch.

His deep eyes fixed on Ni Xinyu, their gaze so tender it made her feel like she had just stepped into a romance drama.

They had crossed paths once before at a hotel. Now, as she studied him again, Ni Xinyu finally understood why Chu Shu had been so love-struck. The Mo family’s genes were unreal. No matter the gender, every one of them had breathtaking beauty. Except for Yu Xuan, that freak.

Ni Xinyu got straight to the point. She explained Mo Ying’s condition and the risks of joining the competition. A fall could endanger her health. Worse, if word of the pregnancy got out, her career might be over before it began.

“The internet can drown a person in spit.”

Kong Rulan listened quietly. Then he asked, “Xiao Wu…”

Mo Ying propped up her chin with a dreamy smile. “Second Brother, Fourth Sister told me that if enough people know me and like me, I won’t go hungry. I won’t have to worry about feeding myself and baby fish. I’m joining the preliminary round.”

“Ah—”

Mo Ying turned and nodded solemnly at Ni Xinyu. “My Second Brother agrees.”

Ni Xinyu, “???”